Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Yesterday I missed a lovely Tatting Tea Tuesday gathering because of contract work. The weather was gorgeous, the two tatting ladies delightful. It was an afternoon of "Tatting on the Farm."

Instead of tatting with the ladies in Virginia horse country, I tatted in my tatting corner. It is a nice corner, but it doesn't have a view of horses frisking in the field or the Autumn splendor of the Shenandoah Valley. Next time I will go!

This is what I am working on (using two of my shuttles made by Georgia and Richard Seitz):

For my dove, Lizbeth 40 Snow White thread is being used with opaque white seed beads and a black bead for the eye. It will adorn a bookmark (in place of a tassel) that I am making as a gift. A friend's son is being confirmed at the end of November. Doves and the color red are symbolic of Catholic Confirmation ceremonies.

Let's cross our fingers that my dove will look a fraction as good as Jane's. I can but hope. Jane does such incredible work.

And speaking of work, it is nose back to the grindstone for me. À tout à l'heure! (See you soon!)

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

It would be great if my absence were due to a mad rush of tatting on a big project. Sadly, that is not the case. I have been working on freelance writing/editing projects for the Alaska Neurology Center.

Actually my first project was marketing related (something I have NO previous experience in) -- I drafted up a logo design concept for their Sleep Disorder and Treatment Center. They wanted something unique and I suppose turning to a non-Marketing type is one way to do it!

Here is an early prototype of the design concept I submitted. It changed a bit in subsequent revisions so I don't feel like I am revealing secrets by showing you.

Since that project wrapped up, I have been writing about a new MRI scanner (the GE Discovery MR750w 3.0T, if anyone is interested). Preparing copy for their website and brochures. Today I hope to receive the next topic -- perhaps the services they provide for Multiple Sclerosis patients.

All in all interesting work. And it is work I am glad to have. Especially since the contract was supposed to expire on September 30 and they have asked me continue on into October.

I miss you all, but will be back once the freelance work is ended. I AM reading all the tatting blogs and have been greatly enjoying all your posts. Keep 'em coming. Big hugs to everyone!

An American Box Turtle paid a visit this morning. My two hounds went crazy!

Yesterday I spotted my first Woolly Bear Caterpillar of 2013. He was just a little guy, only about half as long as I usually see such "worms."

According to legend, the wider that middle brown section is (i.e., the more brown segments there are), the milder the coming winter will be. Conversely, a narrow brown band is said to predict a harsh winter.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

A few weeks ago I was asked by a young girl if I would tat her a small animal -- a pink octopus like the one I had on the display table during one of my summer tatting demos.

So I grabbed my shuttles and began a test tat.

The magenta-colored head tatted up perfectly. 'I got this,' I thought and pressed on.

I make these mistakes so you don't have to
Almost immediately I misunderstood the directions, not noticing my error until four limbs had been completed. (So very like me, and precisely the reason for test tatting a piece first.) I ended up with NINE limbs instead of eight.

Motif 25 Nonny the Nonapus
May I present my strange creation and the head of his soon-to-be eight-limbed cousin? Here Nonny is holding up his claim to fame.

This completes my second 25 Motif Challenge. I finished it in less than 2 years, an improvement from my first challenge. (FYI--if one motif is tatted and posted within a two-week period it should take no more than one year to complete the challenge.)

I am not disappointed with my timing, just being aware of it. The challenge isn't about racing to meet a deadline. Completing the challenge gives me a great sense of accomplishment and keeps me tatting on a regular basis. Both are good things.

So I will carry on for a 3rd Challenge, so long as you readers aren't hopelessly bored. Completing my class projects from Tat Days 2012 will be the goal for the first part of this new challenge. Hearts and Beanile lace jewelry and critters, oh my!

More Monster Mollusks
If you would like to read more about monster mollusks, two links to stories about real-life nonapus (or enneapus) are included below.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Feeling nostalgic, I scrolled through old "mommy blog" posts the other day. Reading about Sapling's early days reminds me that I need to publish these little moments into a hard copy book so we can read them when he's grown.

Digital scrapbooking was my hobby before Sapling (who was called Little Sprout, and later Sprout) was old enough to allow mommy "me time." When everyone was asleep I would sit at the computer and create scrapbook pages for a few hours. I also "scrapped" this blog header. Still love how it looks.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Remember in December 2011 when Jon Yusoff first told us of Tatting Treasures Unearthed and began sharing her diagrams of Norma Benporath's lace patterns? Her announcement was the beginning of a tat-along wherein Lace Mats were made by tatters all over the globe.

It was great fun participating in the tat-along. Choosing the colors, creating the lace, marveling at 35 other magnificent mats and voting in the secret poll; all of it sheer delight.

Thank you, Jon, for hosting an event that resulted in my first county fair blue ribbon.

That's right, a blue ribbon! Squeee!

A closer look at the Lace Mat

Only two entries were submitted in the tatting category this year. (There were five last year.) The other entry was a lovely oval doily done in needle tatting by my friend Sw4nkyL4c3r.

2013 county fair ribbon winner - tatting

I was stunned and nearly hyperventilated when I saw Sw4nkyL4c3r's doily with a red ribbon. (I am not making this up.) So sure was I that hers was a shoe-in for the blue, that I froze, looking around for some other entry that wasn't there -- afraid to look at my own. I was sure that if hers got a red, then mine surely received either white (third) or nothing at all. It was only after I couldn't find any other entry that I peeked at mine. Even then I didn't believe my eyes.

OK, enough of all that. I have since calmed down.

I demonstrated tatting at the county fair this past Sunday and here is a photo taken by a kind bystander.

IsDihara at the county fair(Check out the sneak peek of charity wall hanging!)

The Tat Days charity project was sponsored by the Piedmont Palm Frond and I am so proud of the work we have done. This wall hanging is ADORABLE with its playful penguins frolicking on glacial ice. Lots of cute details to make all Tat Days participants say, "Awwwwwwwww!"

Please consider making a donation to the fund-raising auction, whether or not you are able to attend the tatting conference in Toccoa, GA.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Posting a note to myself. One of the first blogs I read regularly in 2006 (that wasn't a tatting blog) was this one. It was called (you guessed it) "Jason. For the love of God." That Chick Over There regularly kept me in stitches with her thoughts, prose and rants.

Then came the sad, sad day when I noticed her RSS feed hadn't updated in awhile. The while stretched longer and longer until I resigned myself that I would no longer get to read her thoughts on life. It was like a light had gone out in the world.

Fast forward to today. While making preparations for the July 1st demise of Google Reader, I noticed a new (to me) post! It directed readers to a new blog.... *drumroll*

That Chick Over ThereYou might also know me as Stephanie Snowe. I'm a mom, a wife, a writer, and a blogger. Oh and people think I'm hilarious and they are right.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Ooh, it has been a good week for post. An unexpected parcel arrived from a northern cousin, she of the flying shuttles, the magnificent Fox! To what do I owe this good fortune?

Goodies from Fox

The note card caused a brief pause, as I didn't recall doing anything requiring a thank you note...

Fox was thanking me again for sending her a Pansy shuttle from La Cossette many moons ago. (Tat-ology 2011: So Blessed)

...enclosed was a pretty wisteria shuttle from La Cossette to add to my collection. Yippee!
That is not all. Cindy from A Happy Bluebird made a terrific felt needle book to pass along.

Fox's timing couldn't be better, as I am stitching my fingers raw with applique work on the Palmetto Tat Days fund-raiser wall hanging. Applique needles are sharp and having a case to keep them in is a life-saver.

Fox and Cindy, THANK YOU so much my friends!

Blue-eyed penguins for Tat Days charity fund raiser

Gettin' Grape-y with a Pineapple
When my stitching fingers need a break, I ply my shuttles toward a promised heart for JB. Here is a sneak peek of her heart so far.

Pineapple Split Ring Heart pattern can be found online at Needle Tatting Forum (registration required). It is also linked from Tatting Pattern Central. (Registration is still required at Needle Tatting Forum to access the pattern, but once logged in, the link at Tatting Pattern Central opens right up.)

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

For Tatting Tea Tuesday I decided to forego tea and focus on creating a new blog header. Still tweaking the fonts, but doesn't the lace look good in succulent summer colors?

Inspired by Jeff Hamilton (Bridge City Tatting) and Fox (Tat-ology), I have blithely jumped on the bandwagon for Susanne Schwenke's triangle motif. The pattern and diagram are available in her book "Spitzen-Kreationen" on pages 42-43.

Susanne Schwenke triangle motif
tatted by IsDihara

Thread used is Lizbeth® 20 #156 Juicy Watermelon. I was using up leftovers from the Jane's Bookmark Cross I made at the end of May. This triangle is so nice to tat and gave me good practice working only from a diagram.

The backdrop is one of my fingerless gloves. The soft halo the Angora fibers give the lace is quite pleasing. Here is another look at the gloves:

Hand-spun Angora
knit fingerless gloves, top

One side is smooth and the other is ribbed so it is like having two sets of gloves in one.

Hand-spun Angora
knit fingerless gloves, bottom

Wishing you all blissful me time to create something beautiful. See you next Tuesday for more communi-tea!

Please consider sending in one or more dragonflies of your choosing to help raise money for the scholarship fund. As a scholarship recipient last year, I can attest to the value and NEED for this marvelous scholarship.

That is why I am stitching and tatting to create a decorated wall hanging to be auctioned off for fund. It is a huge blessing to tatters who otherwise would not be able to attend.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

The first Tatting Tea Tuesday of summer started out with me sipping an iced green tea Nojito. I make my own mint syrup, adding several splashes of lime to the green tea plus a fresh sprig or two of mint. YUM! Feel free to add rum if you prefer a Mojito-tea concoction.

Two Jane's Bookmark Crosses
Designed by Grace Tan/Jane McLellan
Tatted by IsDihara 2013

This week I completed a second Jane's Bookmark Cross. One for each of Sapling's Kindergarten teachers. These turned out great! Both are lovely and were a joy to tat. Sapling's last day of school is June 13, 2013, so I even completed them before deadline. Perhaps the most amazing part!

This second cross is tatted in Lizbeth® 20 #149 Peacock Blues. It measures three (3) inches in length (7.62 cm) and two (2) inches wide (5.08 cm).

Hats off again to Grace Tan who cleverly adapted Jane McClelland's bookmark pattern into a cross. And gratitude also to Jane McLellan who adapted her bookmark from a braid that appeared in the May 1984 Anna Burda magazine. Such amazing talent from these two tatting ladies.

Ramblings and a Sneak Peek

To kick off summer tatting season I had wanted to tat another Celtic Strawberry Heart by Birgit Phelps or one of Martha Ess' charming Split Ring Ladybugs (pattern available on Palmetto Tat Days 2009 Pattern CD). Alas, with the stitching I am doing I wasn't able to start either project.

It seems the Piedmont Palm Frond group was the lone sponsor of a decorated wall hanging this year. We had been keeping mum about our theme but I see no reason to keep it under wraps any longer. Here's a sneak peek at our whimsical blue-eyed penguins:

Playful penguins wall hanging for
2013 Tat Days fund-raising auction.

There will be more to discover about these capricious penguins at Palmetto Tat Days in September. The wall hanging will have hand-stitched applique, couching and some bead work as well as tatting and bobbin lace. My hope is that such fun-loving sea-birds will be in demand on auction night.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

This post was supposed to be published on Tuesday. Since I started walking with a tatting friend on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, I haven't been so consistent with publishing my Tatting Tea Tuesday posts.

This one, for instance. The tatting photos and starter text were prepared on Monday. All I needed to do was sit down at the computer and finish after returning from my Tuesday two-mile walk.

Close up of the tapioca pearls in my tea.

Didn't happen.
The upside of a Thursday post is that I can share the bubble tea I am drinking today.

Lemony Green Bubble Tea (iced)

It is a super-tasty indulgence with cell-supporting antioxidants and cancer-fighting catechins. Bubble tea is also called boba or pearl milk tea and originated in Taiwan. Mine is tea without the milk, but if you add the milk you also get a small calcium boost.

Motif 23 - Jane's Bookmark Cross

As for tatting, I am having a great time making my first (ever) crosses to give as gifts to Sapling's Kindergarten teachers. Hard to believe, isn't it? I have been tatting for over 30 years and these are my first crosses.

Jane's Bookmark Cross
progress after day one

I just love how the green rings fall at each end of the horizontal bars and the juicy fruit hues cluster toward the center. And I used the SSSR to finish the bottom ring. A great method of hiding ends.

Scan of Day 1 progress on
Jane's Bookmark Cross

The white background on the scanner makes it harder to see the pale green stitches, but had the most sharp resolution. Of course, these images are of the lace unblocked.

Jane's Bookmark Cross
progress, day two

This cross is tatted in Lizbeth® 20 #156 Juicy Watermelon and measures three (3) inches in length (7.62 cm) and two (2) inches wide (5.08 cm). Grace Tan cleverly adapted Jane McClelland's bookmark pattern into a cross, which itself was adapted by Jane from a braid that appeared in the May 1984 Anna Burda magazine.

Isn't teamwork wonderful? The evolution story of this cross is quite good too. Without the Internet bringing these people together would this cross have been created?

Wishing you all blissful me time to create something beautiful. See you next Tuesday for more communi-tea!

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Can you believe that overnight my corner of Tat Land had a frost and this afternoon the temperature is expected to rise to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26.67 degrees Celcius)?

Frost in mid-May is freaky in my little corner of Tat Land. As weird weather patterns increasingly become the norm (Two weeks ago an unprecedented 18" (45.72 cm) of snow fell on Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa.) I pine for warmth and sun.

This itty bitty beach ball evokes sun-soaked feelings and playful memories. Sunshine seems to follow beach balls where ever they go, so tat a beach ball if you too are ready for summer sun!

In the photo above the beach ball has been lightly starched to hold its shape and is drying around a ping pong ball. (This is only the second time in my life I have starched a piece of tatting.)

Here is a better photo:

Beach Ball tatted by IsDihara

This beach ball is adapted from a balloon pattern found in the Ring of
Tatter's 25th anniversary book (page 42). The balloon has been designed
by French tatter Edwige Renaudin. Only slight stitch count modifications were needed to transform a delightful balloon into a playful beach ball.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

For those who like to know, here are the threads I used to create these cuties:

Lizbeth 20 #168 Latte Foam for the body of the pram on the left.
Lizbeth 20 #125 Sea Scape for the body of the pram on the right.

Lizbeth 20 #603 Ecru for the wheels and handles.

What does your pram say about you?

Mine say that I LOVED tatting January's mysterious and whimsical TIAS. It was brilliant! The releases kept me guessing well past the half-way mark. (It is the guessing that I like most of all.)

In fact, I stopped tatting on the last installment to tackle Sapling's 6th birthday party and a few other real-life bits, but kept putting it off JUST so the fun wouldn't end. (Crazy logic, I know.) Eventually they called to me to be tidied up and taken out for a stroll.

Merci mille fois, Jane, for giving us this delightful game to play. It sure was fun!

Here is a quick guide for deciphering what your baby's actions are when in an outward-facing pram. If the person walking toward you:

Smiles or comments about how cute your child is = Baby is asleep.

Gives you pitying looks = Baby is crying.

Looks of horror = Baby is covered in vomit or the wind has stuck a crisp packet to it’s face

I first stumbled across The Wavy Gravy hat (surprise, surprise) while on a late-night blog crawl. After knitting two in quick succession, I made a third using "Christmas Pudding" colors and donated it to charity.

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

For this drizzly Tatting Tea Tuesday, I offer up a few cheerful photos taken last week during a morning stroll around my neighborhood block. Walk with me...

Purple Tulips

First up are deep purple tulips in my front yard. These were planted seven years ago, before The Sprout was born. (The Sprout's blog name will soon be changing to Sapling since, at the ripe old age of 6 years, he says "Sprout is for babies.")

Lovely tulips from neighbor's garden

While I love my rich purple tulips, they don't hold a candle to the neighbor's cheerful, rainbow-colored blooms. Aren't they stunning?

Lilacs (top) balanced by crisp, white azalea

The neighbor on the corner has captivating lilacs. The spring air is softly scented with their perfume. The whole front yard is gorgeous and it just burst into bloom this way. *le sigh*

White dogwood

Across the street from the lovely lilacs are several townhomes with dogwood trees.

Pink dogwood

Dogwoods are unrivaled in beauty among the early Spring flowering trees. Even more so than cherry blossoms in some circles.

Double-ruffled cherry blossoms in the morning light.

Along the public street the HOA plants these double cherry trees. Gently shaking the branches grants you a delicate petal shower and pretty pink sidewalks.

Double-ruffled cherry tree

In contrast to the double-ruffled cherry blossoms are these sweet petals from a weeping cherry.

Weeping Cherry

Well, that is all for now. I hope you have enjoyed strolling around the block with me. I have surely enjoyed showing you the beauty of it. Now back to tatting.